AUTHENTICATION OF AN OBJECT

• US 20100235643A1
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/785,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235643A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A system for authenticating an object is disclosed. The system includes an optical sensing device and a processor. The optical sensing device senses coded data provided on a surface associated with the object. The coded data is indicative of a position on the surface, an identity associated with the object, and a part of a signature. The signature is a digital signature of the identity. The processor determines, using the sensed coded data, a sensed identity and a sensed signature part, determines, using the position, a sensed signature part identity, determines, using the sensed identity, at least a determined signature, determines, using the determined signature and the sensed signature part identity, a determined signature part, compares the determined signature part to the sensed signature part, and authenticates the object using the result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A system for authenticating an object, the system including:

an optical sensing device for sensing coded data provided on a surface associated with the object, the coded data being indicative of;

a position on the surface;

an identity associated with the object; and

,

a part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

a processor in communication with the optical sensing device for;

determining, using the sensed coded data, a sensed identity and a sensed signature part;

determining, using the position, a sensed signature part identity;

determining, using the sensed identity, at least a determined signature;

determining, using the determined signature and the sensed signature part identity, a determined signature part;

comparing the determined signature part to the sensed signature part; and

,

authenticating the object using the result of the comparison.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processor further generates an indication of success or failure of the authentication.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processor retrieves from a data store, using the sensed identity, stored data indicative of the digital signature, the stored data including at least one of:

padding associated with the signature;

a private key;

a public key;

one or more digital signature parts; and

,

the digital signature.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the stored data is indexed by at least one of:

the identity; and

,

a range of identities.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein the processor determines the determined signature part using the stored data and the sensed identity.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the signature is a digital signature of at least part of the identity and at least part of predetermined padding, and wherein the processor:

determines, using the identity, the predetermined padding; and

,

generates, using the predetermined padding and the determined signature, the generated identity.

7. A system of according to claim 1, wherein the processor is within the optical sensing device.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the digital signature includes at least one of:

a random number associated with the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity and a random number;

cipher-text produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key; and

,

cipher-text produced using RSA encryption.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the identity associated with the object includes an identity of at least one of:

the object;

the surface; and

,

a region of the surface.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a centre of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.